Columnist Lawrence Harmon criticizes Boston City Councilor-at-Large John Connolly for supporting Councilor Charles C. Yancey’s $115 million loan order to construct a state-of-the-art high school in Mattapan (“Connolly stumbles in vote pursuit,” Op-ed, July 6). Both councilors are mayoral candidates. Harmon attacks Yancey’s loan order by calling it a “fantasy” and “cockamamy,” and he accuses Connolly of wooing the minority vote.

But the real story is the fact that many Boston high school students are taking courses in substandard facilities without gymnasiums, cafeterias, or science laboratories; and that most city councilors have consistently voted against the loan order, seemingly out of faithfulness to the Menino administration, which has failed to acquire funding for the much-needed school.

Harmon should instead be skeptical of Connolly’s pre-campaign opposition to the loan order, and he should be skeptical of the other councilors’ rationale for opposing it. Obviously, a new state-of-the-art high school would benefit Boston’s future public high school students.